Reverse electronic dictionary using synonyms to expand search capabilities

ABSTRACT

A method for the retrieval from an electronic dictionary of a word which is known or believed to exist but can not be brought to mind or a word that is thought may exist, to replace a pedestrian word or phrase. A complete thesaurus and dictionary are needed to establish numeric codes. The numeric codes designate synonym groups and are assigned to thesaurus entries and are thereafter transferred to corresponding dictionary entries and their definition words. The synonym groups can be expanded to include related words and words that are not technically synonyms. Words having no synonyms are assigned unique numeric codes or can be included within the synonym groups of one or more related words. The user enters one or more search words which are thought may exist in the definition of the word sought. After locating the numeric code(s) for the search word(s) the dictionary is searched for words having those numeric code(s) within their definitions. As each of such words is found it is displayed as a candidate for the word sought. At any time after a candidate is displayed the user can view the full dictionary listing for that word. The numeric codes are internal to the computer and are not visible to the user.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The instant invention relates to a method of word retrieval forelectronic dictionaries and other reference works which utilizes anumeric search routine in conjunction with a complex system of assignednumeric codes establishing synonym groups within a large synonymdatabase enabling the word sought to be accessed while allowing forvariety in the defining word sets entered.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There have been a variety of electronic dictionaries published, such asthe American Heritage Talking Dictionary, the Meriam Webster'sCollegiate Dictionary and the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, whichoperate on full text searches with Boolean operators. These rely on aspecific definition or a specific combination of words to access theword sought. Any deviation in the defining words entered from that ofthe specific database definition will not access the word sought andtherefore contributes to the limited performance of such dictionaries.

A number of patents have issued for various "dictionaries", but carefulscrutiny reveals that most of these patents are for methods or processesfor checking the spelling of words in a document (U.S. Pat. Nos.3,995,245; 4,503,514; 4,799,188; 4,833,610; and 5,297,038).

U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,936 to Decker, et al. describes a method for storageand retrieval of all forms of a word. This method is for use inelectronic dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries and thesauri. The wordsare broken down by stem and ending sets, parts of speech and grammaticalinformation. This system can be utilized for translating words from onelanguage to another and to obtain grammatical information pertaining tothe second language. Letkeman, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,121 describes acomputer generated dictionary wherein words and defining phrases arereduced to numerical storage units that are compressed into a minimum ofstorage space. The defining phrases can be stored in several differentlanguages so that the user can retrieve the sought after defining phrasein the desired language.

Rosenbaum, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,329) teaches a method for findinga series of synonyms for a given word. This method defines an automaticthesaurus. The words are arranged in an N×N matrix wherein an "on" bit(1) corresponds to a synonym. Column positions of the "on" bit arestored. The search is performed on the first four letters of a word. Asimilar system can be used to retrieve antonyms, but a separate storagesystem and matrix are required for the antonyms.

There is a need for an electronic dictionary that can retrieve a wordwhen one or more words which appear in its definition, or one or morewords related to or synonyms for words appearing in its definition areentered. There is a need for a dictionary that anticipates the definingwords that the user might enter in order to find the word sought andthat therefore relies on a large database of synonyms in order tobroaden search capabilities without sacrificing the speed of the searchand retrieval.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an electronic dictionary or wordretrieval system that enables access to a desired word by entering oneword or a two word combination that defines the word sought. Numericcodes stored in a large database assist in the retrieval process andprovide one or more candidate words. The full dictionary entry for anyof the candidate words can be displayed at the user's discretion. Thenumeric codes enable the use of synonym groups which provide variety inthe set of defining words that can be entered and thereby make theretrieval of the word sought more certain. Table I illustrates the useof different word combinations.

                  TABLE I                                                         ______________________________________                                        Column A       Column B     Column C                                          ______________________________________                                        acephalous     lacking      without                                                          head         leader                                            acrophobia     dread        fear                                                             height       altitude                                          alveolus       small        little                                                           cavity       hole                                              bulimia        constant     continual                                                        craving      desire                                            collegium      group        gathering                                                        equal        same                                              pedant         show         flaunt                                                           knowledge    erudition                                         poltergeist    noisy        clangorous                                                       ghost        spook                                             sally          saying       adage                                                            witty        facetious                                         shrive         free         release                                                          guilt        blame                                             votive         offered      tendered                                                         vow          promise                                           ______________________________________                                         Column A: main entry words                                                    Column B: words which yield main entry word using Merriam Webster's           Electronic Dictionary                                                         Column C: words which will not yield main entry word using Merriam            Webster's Electronic Dictionary                                               Note: both words in Column B and in Column C will yield the main entry        word of Column A with the present invention                              

It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic wordretrieval system or dictionary that is not specific to a single set ofdefining words.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an electronicdictionary based largely on a wide database of synonyms that arecompartmented into various synonym groups.

Another object of the present invention is to have numeric codesassigned to all main entry words and all words found in their respectivedefinitions.

It is a further object of the present invention to use only synonymgroups that are appropriate to the word sought.

A still further object of the present invention is to enhance the speedof retrieval by avoiding manipulation of irrevelevant synonym groups.

A further object of the present invention is to assign the numeric codesusing all available number combinations starting with the lowestnumbers.

A still further object of the present invention is to assign the lowestnumbers to the most frequently used words to speed search capabilities.

Another object of the present invention is to enable the user to viewall candidate words and obtain the full dictionary entry for anycandidate word at his or her discretion.

A still further object of the present invention is to have the numericcodes stored in memory for computer access, but not visible to the user.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be seen from thefollowing description, tables and flow diagrams.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating the process for collapsing multipleentries under a single entry word.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating the initial thesaurus processingwherein the numeric codes are assigned to the main entries.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating the final thesaurus processingwherein the numeric codes are assigned to the secondary entries.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the initial dictionary processing.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating the final dictionary processing.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating the reprocessing of the numericcodes.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating the search sequence of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The reverse dictionary of the present invention depends on a dictionarydatabase numerically encoded for quick and easy access. Every main entryword as well as each word in each definition is assigned a numeric code,either a synonym group numeric code or, if the word has no synonym, aunique identifier. One, or more often two defining words are entered forthe search. The numeric codes for the defining words are found andstored. Thereafter, the search proceeds by locating main entry wordshaving the numeric codes for both of the entered defining words withintheir definitions. As each such main entry word is found it is displayedas a candidate for the word sought. The user can call up the fulldictionary entry for any candidate word as soon as it appears on thescreen.

A storage system large enough to hold entire thesaurus and dictionaryfiles with 20 to 30 megabytes in excess memory is required to effect theprocess which is performed in two phases. Phase I establishes thecomplex system of numeric codes required for the computer assistedsearch, and Phase II sets forth the actual search sequences. Once thefinal numeric codes have been assigned, Phase I is completed and thethesaurus can be removed from memory. The published material (CD ROM,diskettes, etc.) need only hold the complete dictionary with the numericcodes and the search command sequence.

The process works best with a thesaurus and dictionary that complementeach other. The nomenclature used herein is that found in Webster'sCollegiate Thesaurus and Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and thesereferences were used for all of the examples cited. However, the processcan be accomplished with any dictionary and thesaurus combination.

PHASE I (establishing and assigning the numeric codes):

The entire thesaurus is loaded into the computer storage system forexamination and processing. Multiple entries of the same word frequentlyoccur in a thesaurus to differentiate the meanings associated withvarious parts of speech, for example, when the same word is used as anoun and an adjective, a noun and a verb, an adverb and a proposition,etc. It is unrealistic for users to make these distinctions andrequiring them to do so will only add complexity to the system.Therefore, multiple entries are collapsed into one single entry.

The first step in processing the thesaurus is to examine the thesaurusentries for each multiple occurrence of the same word. (Table IIA)Referring to FIG. 1, all entries of the same word are removed except forthe first such entry. All of the synonyms that were associated with eachof the successive entries are appended to the synonym group of the firstentry. (Table IIB) When this step has been completed, there will be onlyone entry for each thesaurus main entry word. The main entries areidentified as those words having listings which include an illustrativesentence. In Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus these sentences are enclosedin angle brackets (<>).

                  TABIE II A                                                      ______________________________________                                        Sample thesaurus entries                                                      ______________________________________                                        aback adv                                                                     syn UNAWARES short, sudden etc.                                               abaft, adv < >                                                                syn aft, astern                                                               abaft prep < >                                                                syn back of, behind                                                           abalienate vb                                                                 syn TRANSFER alien, alienate, etc                                             abandon vb < >                                                                syn chuck, desert, forsake, etc.                                              syn RELINQUISH, cede, give up, etc.                                           abandon n < >                                                                 syn UNCONSTRAINT, ease, naturalness, etc.                                     syn impulsiveness, uninhibitedness,                                           unrestraint, etc.                                                             abandoned adj < >                                                             syn DERELICT deserted, desolate                                               syn dissolute, licentious, etc.                                               ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE II B                                                      ______________________________________                                        Collapsing of multiple entries                                                ______________________________________                                        aback adv                                                                     syn UNAWARES short, sudden etc.                                               abaft adv < >                                                                 syn aft, astern                                                               syn back of, behind                                                           abalienate vb                                                                 syn TRANSFER alien, alienate, etc                                             abandon vb < >                                                                syn chuck, desert, forsake, etc.                                              syn RELINQUISH, cede, give up, etc.                                           syn UNCONSTRAINT, ease, naturalness, etc.                                     syn impulsiveness, uninhibitedness,                                           unrestraint, etc.                                                             abandoned adj < >                                                             syn DERELICT deserted, desolate                                               syn dissolute, licentious, etc.                                               ______________________________________                                         Note:                                                                         Only the exact forms of a word are combined, thus abandoned remains as a      separate listing.                                                        

With reference to FIG. 2 a synonym group numeric code is assigned toeach main entry. The numeric codes are assigned beginning with the firstmain entry and continuing in alpha sequence as seen in Table IIIA. Thesynonym group numeric codes consist of five (5) digits, wherein thefirst three digits represent the page in the thesaurus on which the wordis found and the last two digits represent the numerical order of themain entry on that page. That same synonym group numeric code willeventually be assigned to each of the synonyms of the main entry word.These include any synonyms appended to that word due to multiple entriesas noted above. The program is not designed to distinguish the parts ofspeech. However, each part of speech will have different synonyms andthose will be associated with a main entry word.

                  TABLE III A                                                     ______________________________________                                        Assigmnent of Synonym Group Numeric Codes to                                  Thesaurus Main Entry Words                                                    ______________________________________                                        SKIP     aback adv                                                                     syn UNAWARES short, sudden etc.                                      00102    abaft adv < >                                                                 syn 00102 aft, 00102 astern                                                   syn 00102 back of, 00102 behind                                      SKIP     abalienate vb                                                                 syn TRANSFER alien, alienate, etc.                                   00105    abandon vb < >                                                                syn 00105 chuck, 00105 desert, 00105 forsake, etc.                            syn RELINQUISH, cede, give up, etc.                                           syn UNCONSTRAINT, ease, naturalness, etc.                                     syn 00105 impulsiveness, 00105 uninhibitedness,                               00105 unrestraint, etc.                                              00107    abandoned adj < >                                                             syn DERELICT deserted, desolate                                               syn 00107 dissolute, 00107 licentious, etc.                          ______________________________________                                         Note:                                                                         Main entries are recognized by usage of the word in a sentence designated     herein by the symbol <                                                        Synonym group numeric codes are only assigned to main entries. Those          numbers, as illustrated above., are later assigned to their synonyms.         Secondary entries are indicated by a word printed in all capital letters      and are assigned synonym group numeric codes later.                      

When all of the main entries have been assigned synonym group numericcodes, the secondary entries are examined. Each secondary entry isassigned its appropriate synonym group numeric code. Refer to FIG. 3. Inthe Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus the secondary entries can berecognized by the inclusion of one or more words printed in all capitalletters. Each secondary entry is listed elsewhere as a main entry. Thenumeric code is obtained from the listing of the word in capitals as amain entry. This way the appropriate numeric code is assigned to theword and duplication or use of extra numbers is avoided. If more thanone secondary entry is located, each must be assigned its proper numericcode. When this step has been completed, all main entries, all secondaryentries and all of their respective synonyms will have one or moresynonym group numeric codes as illustrated in Table III B.

                  TABLE III B                                                     ______________________________________                                        Assignment of Synonym Group Numeric Codes to                                  Thesaurus Secondary Entry Words                                               ______________________________________                                        79223    aback adv                                                                     syn 79223 UNAWARES, 79223 short,                                              79223 sudden etc.                                                    00102    abaft adv < >                                                                 syn 00102 aft, 00102 astern                                                   syn 00102 back of, 00102 behind                                      77702    abalienate vb                                                                 syn 77702 TRANSFER, 77702 alien,                                              77702 alienate, etc.                                                 00105    abandon vb < >                                                                syn 00105 chuck, 00105 desert, 00105 forsake, etc.                            syn 61218 RELINQUISH, 61218 cede,                                             61218 give up, etc.                                                           syn 79626 UNCONSTRAINT, 79626 ease,                                           79626 naturalness, etc.                                                       syn 00105 impulsiveness, 00105 uninhibitedness,                               00105 unrestraint, etc.                                              00107    abandoned adj < >                                                             syn 20111 DERELICT, 20111 deserted,                                           20111 desolate etc.                                                           syn 00107 dissolute, 00107 licentious,                                        00107 profligate, etc.                                               ______________________________________                                         Note:                                                                         After assigning synonym group numeric codes to the secondary entries the      word "abandon" has 3 synonym group numeric codes, 00105, 61218, 79626, an     the word "abandoned" has 2 synonym group numeric codes 00107 and 20111.  

The next step is to load the entire dictionary into the computer storagesystem containing the thesaurus. Referring to FIG. 4, each dictionarymain entry is examined for a match with a main or secondary entry fromthe thesaurus. When a match is found, the five digit synonym groupnumeric code (or codes) is affixed to the dictionary main entry word.

If no match is found, indicating that the main entry has no synonym, aunique six digit numeric code is affixed to the dictionary word. The sixdigit number is comprised of four digits for the dictionary page onwhich it is found and two digits for the position of the word on thatpage.

After all dictionary main entries have been examined, each will havebeen assigned one or more synonym group numeric codes which are notunique, or a unique six digit numeric code which indicates that the wordhas no synonym or does not belong to a synonym group.

The thesaurus was needed to establish the synonym group numeric codesand once this has been accomplished it is no longer needed. All of thedata from the thesaurus can now be removed from memory leaving theentire dictionary with the appropriate numeric codes affixed to eachmain entry. From this point on, a synonym data base per se is no longerneeded.

Having established numeric codes for all dictionary main entry words,their definitions are examined and each word in each definition isassigned the numeric code associated with its listing as a dictionarymain entry word. There will be instances where different definitionwords will have the same numeric code(s). This happens when two or morewords in a definition are synonyms. There may also be words in adefinition that are repeated so that the assigned numeric code(s) willbe repeated. Redundant numeric codes are eliminated. See FIG. 5 and theexample in Table IV.

                  TABLE IV                                                        ______________________________________                                        Illustration of the sequence in the assignnent of synonym                     group numeric codes to a main entry definition in the dictionary              ______________________________________                                        086120 PHILOLOGY                                                                     the study of literature and of disciplines relevant to                        literature or to language as used in literature                        086120 PHILOLOGY                                                                     the 120816 study 62405, 05409, 28404, 15419, 65219                            of 079645 literature 067208 and 004309 of 079645                              disciplines 58930, 85609, 58928, 75429                                        relevant 61209 to 76906, 02017, 07328, 82016                                  literature 067208 or 080642                                                   to 76906, 02017, 07328, 82016                                                 language 43922, 75822 as 07216 used 82514                                     in 73011, 58829 literature 067208                                      086120 PHILOLOGY                                                                     the 120816 study 62405, 05409, 28404, 15419, 65219                            of 079645 literature 067208 and 004309 of --                                  disciplines 58930, 85609, 58928, 75429                                        relevant 61209 to 76906, 02017, 07328, 82016                                  literature -- or 080642 to --                                                 language 43922, 75822 as 07216 used 82514                                     in 73011, 58829 literature --                                           Note:                                                                         after a word is assigned its numeric codes, the numbers are not repeated      the successive times the same word is used                               

    086120 PHILOLOGY                                                                     120816, 62405, 05409, 28404, 15419, 65219, 079645,                            067208, 004309, 58930, 85609, 58928, 75429, 61209,                            76906, 02017, 07328, 82016, 080642, 43922, 75822,                             07216, 82514, 73011, 58829                                              Note:                                                                         all of the numeric codes are listed                                      

    086120 PHILOLOGY                                                                     02017, 05409, 07216, 07328, 15419, 28404, 43922,                              58829, 58928, 58930, 61209, 62405, 65219, 73011,                              75429, 75822, 76906, 82016, 82514, 85609                                      004309, 067208, 079645, 080642, 120816                                  Note:                                                                         the nummic codes are regrouped in ascending order, first the five digit       numeric codes, then the six digit numeric codes                          

    086120 PHILOLOGY                                                                     05409, 15419, 28404, 43922, 58928, 58930, 61209                               62405, 65219, 75429, 75822, 82514, 85609,                                     067208                                                                 ______________________________________                                         Note:                                                                         the numeric codes for "the" "of" "and" "to" "or" "as" and "in" have been      removed. This example does not illustrate the renumbering as suggested fo     the actual dictionary to utilize the lowest numbers.                          The final dictionary record for philology as stored would look like the       last sequence shown above, followed by the full dictionary listing            including pronunciation, part of speech, word derivation, definition, etc     Note:                                                                         The numeric codes above do not reflect the renumbering sequence.         

The numeric codes assigned in a given definition are sorted and arrangedin ascending order and positioned immediately following the dictionarymain entry word but before the usual dictionary information whichincludes the pronunciation, word origin, etc. The user can only see theusual dictionary information, but the computer has access to the numericcodes for each main entry and the sequence of numeric codes obtainedfrom the definition, arranged in ascending order. This sequence of stepsis illustrated in FIG. 5 and an example is provided in Table IV.

One of the significant improvements offered by the present invention isits ability to limit the numeric codes to 65,536, the 16th power of 2(the natural limitation of two bytes of eight bits each). To remainwithin this limiting number, it is necessary to count the occurrences ofnumeric codes assigned to definition words, renumbering them so thatthose occurring most frequently are assigned the lowest numbers (fivedigit numbers). All possible numbers should be utilized. See FIG. 6. Byassigning the lowest numbers to the words most frequently used, they areaccessed first and greatly facilitate the definition searches. There aremany entry words that are not used in any definitions and therefore needno number assigned to them. These consist of obscure words andscientific terms as seen in Table V. (Other examples: ganister, ganja,gannet, gantelope, gantlet . . . )

Gerunds and other verb forms that are not useful as key words indefinition searches will not have assigned numbers. Numeric codes forvery short common words such as articles or prepositions which are notuseful as key words in definition searches can be eliminated. Thisprocedure is also illustrated in Table IV. These eliminations, inaddition to helping stay within the 65,536 limit, will increase searchspeed.

As previously noted, many main entries will have more than one numericcode. These were necessary when the main entry numeric codes wereassigned to the dictionary definition words. Now, all except the lowestnumber assigned to each main entry dictionary word can be eliminated asseen in FIG. 6 and illustrated in Table V. Only the lowest number forthe main entry listing is needed, but it must conform to the renumberingscheme described above. The numeric codes associated with thedefinitions are not affected.

                  TABLE V                                                         ______________________________________                                        Illustration of the removal of unnecessary numeric codes                      (Each of the words listed below would be followed by the sequence of          numeric codes for the definition words and the definitions, parts of          speech and other dictionary information)                                      ______________________________________                                        BEFORE REMOVAL OF UNNECESSARY NUMERIC CODES:                                  000135                 abaca                                                  79223                  aback                                                  000137                 abacterial                                             000138                 abacus                                                 00102                  abaft                                                  77702                  abalienate                                             00105, 61218, 79626    abandon                                                00107, 20111           abandoned                                              AFTER REMOVAL OF UNNECESSARY NUMERIC CODES:                                   000135                 abaca                                                  •                aback                                                  •                abacterial                                             000138                 abacus                                                 00102                  abaft                                                  •                abalienate                                             00105                  abandon                                                00107                  abandoned                                              ______________________________________                                         Notes:                                                                        •aback, abacterial and abalienate are used in no definitions so         their numeric codes are eliminated                                            "abandon" loses the numeric codes 61218 and 79626                             When a user enters "relinquish" or "unconstraint" or any of their             synonyms, 61218 or 79626 will be retrieved. These numeric codes will have     been placed with any definition which includes those words or their           synonyms, including "abandon". "Abandoned" loses the numeric code 20111       for the same reason.                                                     

Once the numeric codes are in place within the dictionary the databaseis complete and the word retrieval system can be utilized. All of theusual dictionary information such as parts of speech, pronunciation,definition, roots and derivations, etc., remains in the database and canbe accessed when needed. None of the numeric codes can be seen by theuser. They are used only by the computer for the search sequence.

PHASE II (conducting the search):

Referring to FIG. 7, a computer program is written to conform to thefollowing steps for retrieving a word for which the approximatedefinition is known or imagined (the reverse dictionary):

1. One or more key definition words are chosen. Two key words work well.

2. The first definition word is typed and entered

3. The search of the main entry words is immediately begun for a matchfor the word entered

4. When the word is found, the numeric code for that word is stored

5. The tab key is struck and the second definition word is typed andentered

6. The search of the main entry words is immediately begun for a matchfor the second word entered

7. When the word is found, the numeric code for this word is stored(Both of these searches are instantaneous. The numeric codes are thecritical data and it is on these stored numbers that the retrievaldepends.)

8. The two numeric codes are compared. The smaller number designates the"primary word" while the other becomes the "secondary word" for searchpurposes.

9. The definition word numeric codes following each dictionary mainentry word are searched in sequence for a match with the primary wordnumeric code.

(Since the numeric codes following the dictionary main entry words werearranged in ascending order, the search continues only until a match ora number larger than itself is found. See Table VI. The smaller theprimary word numeric code, the shorter the search time required for amatch.)

                  TABLE VI                                                        ______________________________________                                        Example of computer search sequence                                           ______________________________________                                        Definition words entered: study language                                      Computer finds the words and stores their numeric codes:                                   study    05409     language 43922                                Primary word:                                                                              study    05409     (smaller number)                              Secondary word:                                                                            language 43922     (larger number)                               Computer now searches for the primary word numeric code among                 the numbers listed after each main entry in the dictionary. As soon           as the numeric code is located, the computer searches that same               definitionfor the secondary word numeric code. When found, the                main entry is listed on the screen as a "candidate". All definitions          are searched for the primary word numeric code. Each time the                 primary word numeric code is found, a search is made for the                  secondary word numeric code in the same definition.                           The search ends when all main entries containing both numeric                 codes are located and displayed as candidates, (or no definition              containing both words is found):                                              086120   PHILOLOGY                                                                     05409, 15419, 28404, 43922, 58928, 58930, 61209                               62405, 65219, 75429, 75822, 82514, 85609                                      067208                                                               Computer now lists PHILOLOGY as a candidate word. User can now                click on PHILOLOGY and the entire dictionary listing will appear and          the user can decide if PHILOLOGY was the word sought.                         Alternate definition words: literature language                               Computer finds the words and stores their numeric codes:                                   literature                                                                             067208    language 43922                                Primary word:                                                                              language 43922     (5 digit number)                              Secondary word:                                                                            literature                                                                             067208    (6 digit number)                              Search sequence is begun as stated above. Both numeric codes are              found in the definition of PHILOLOGY.                                         086120   PHILOLOGY                                                                     05409, 15419, 28404, 43922, 58928, 58930, 61209                               62405, 65219, 75429, 75822, 82514, 85609                                      067208                                                               Computer now lists PHILOLOGY as a candidate word. User can now                click on PHILOLOGY and the entire dictionary listing will appear and          the user can decide if PHILOLOGY was the word sought.                         Other word combinations could have been entered as the definition             words and the word sought PHILOLOGY would have been retrieved.                ______________________________________                                         Note:                                                                         If other worxts were also retrieved as "candidates", the user need only       click on them to review their definitions and decide which word was the       one sought.                                                              

10. When a match is found, a search of the definition word numeric codesfor the same entry word is made for match with the secondary wordnumeric code. If a match is found, the dictionary main entry word isdisplayed as a candidate for the word sought.

5 11. The search sequence, steps 9 and 10, is repeated until the entiredictionary has been searched and all candidate words have beendisplayed.

12. As candidates appear, the user can designate any displayed word andobtain its complete dictionary entry, pronunciation, part of speech,derivation, definition, etc., to determine if that candidate is the wordbeing sought.

As can be seen from the above sequence and in Table VI, each searchprogresses in stages. Once the first or primary word numeric code islocated, only that definition need be searched for the secondary wordnumeric code. This limits the search for the secondary word numeric codeand conserves search time.

If no candidate words are displayed, the user will be instructed toselect a different defining word or words in order to retrieve the wordsought.

PHASE I mended (Broadening the number of words in synonym groups):

Related words, contrasted words and antonyms have not been included insynonym groups since most of them will be found as other main entries orsecondary entries. Often words that are not true synonyms may be used asdefining words for the word retrieval system of the present invention.The large numbers of synonyms within many synonym groups will usuallyyield the desired word. However, some definitions are phrased in thenegative and contrasted words or antonyms must be used to retrieve theirrespective main entries. These words can be added to the system tooptimize performance and to add subtleties to the search capabilities.The extent of these additions will depend upon the discretion of thepublisher, the funds available for the project, the amount of memoryavailable and the projected level of sophistication of the user.

If any or all of the above additional word forms are to be included,this inclusion must be accomplished at the time the numeric codes areassigned to the thesaurus main entries and secondary entries, that is,during Phase I.

The thesaurus main entries are examined for the bold face abbreviations"rel" (related words), "con" (contrasted words), and "ant" (antonyms).Each word following the abbreviations is sought in the thesaurus as amain entry or secondary entry. The synonym group numeric code assignedto the main entry being processed is appended to the main entries andsecondary entries found, and conversely, the synonym group numeric codesof the main entries and secondary entries are appended to the word beingprocessed. Thus the possible synonym groups available for each of thesewords is expanded and, in turn, expands the range of the possibledefinition words that will enable the retrieval of a word sought by theuser of the system. A simplified example of this process is found inTable VII.

                  TABLE VII                                                       ______________________________________                                        Examples of the addition of related words to                                  a pool of synonyms                                                            Thesaurus entry:                                                              ______________________________________                                        order vb 1 to bring about an orderly disposition of individuals,              units or elements <ordered his affairs in preparation for marriage>           syn arrange, array, dispose, marshall, methodize, organize,                   systematize                                                                   rel adjust, fix regulate, right; align, fine, line up, range; classify,       codify, hierarchize; regiment, routine, routinize; streamline                 idiom put (or set) in order; put in shape, put (or set) to rights,            reduce to order, whip into shape (or order)                                   ant disorderliness                                                            rel adjust, fly, regulate, right, etc.                                        rel adjust 01422 fix 31326 regulate 61105 right 62712, etc.                   The synonym group number(or numbers) for the word order, 52412,               is added to the synonym group number(s) for each of the words                 adjust, fix, regulate and right and the synonym group numbers                 for the related words (adjust 01422, fix 31326, regulate 61105,               and right 62712) are added to the synonym group number(s)                     for the word order                                                            ______________________________________                                         Note:                                                                         The same method is used for antonyms, contrasted words and faux synonyms 

Faux synonyms can also be added to the system and will provide anotherdimension for the user. These are words which are closely related to amain entry but would not be brought up as synonyms in the usual courseof a search. For example, "Africa", "Tanzania" and "Serengeti", etc. canbe placed in one new synonym group, and "North America", "Mexico" and"Texas", etc. in another. A further example is to add words such as"mammal", "marsupial" and "quadruped" to the synonym group for "animal".The addition of such faux synonyms to the database must be carefullythought out and specifically devised. They can be most helpful when thedictionary is targeted for a specific user group. These additions to thedatabase must also be made before the thesaurus is removed from memory,during Phase I.

As previously noted, words for which no synonyms were found wereassigned unique six digit numeric codes. By careful examination, many ofthese words can become associated with synonym groups. The computer usedto set up the database can be programmed to assist in the formation ofthe new synonym groups, the faux synonym groups, and the assignment ofunique words to synonym groups. Manual intervention is required forthese steps.

The following sequence of steps is used to expand synonym groups:

1. The words for which six digit numeric codes have been assigned arebrought up by accessing the six digit numbers sequentially.

2. The complete dictionary definition of each word, a main entry, isaccessed.

3. The computer then searches the definition for words written in allcapital letters. If one is found, it is sought in the thesaurus.

4. If the word is found in the thesaurus, the five digit numeric codefor that word is used to replace the six digit numeric code originallyassigned to the main entry.

5. If that word is not found in the thesaurus, a new synonym group iscreated with new synonym group numeric codes assigned beginning with90001.

(The new synonym groups will consist of the dictionary main entries andall words found within their definitions in all capital letters.)

6. Any six digit numeric codes originally assigned to either the mainentry or its capitalized definition words are eliminated and replacedwith the new series of five digit numeric codes.

These new synonym groups will enable access to words that otherwisewould not have been accessible unless the exact word was entered as asearch definition word. Faux synonyms can also be treated in this mannerand new synonym groups created as noted above. The new 9000 seriesnumeric codes can be used when appropriate.

Once Phase I (with any amended additions) has been completed, and theassignment of any new synonym groups has been accomplished, only thedictionary database with the numeric codes and the search sequencecommands need be stored in a central computer's memory or sold ondiskettes, CD ROMs, or other suitable storage devices.

The numerical sequencing system of the present invention is not limitedto dictionaries. With appropriate modification it can be used to findquotations in Bartlett's, to get a desired topic in an encyclopedia, orto find a specific quotation in a body of material such as the completeworks of Shakespeare or the Bible.

While one embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated anddescribed in detail, it is to be understood that this invention is notlimited thereto and may be otherwise practiced within the scope of thefollowing claims.

We claim:
 1. An improved computer implemented reverse electronicdictionary of the type wherein one or more search words are entered toretrieve a word sought, the improvements comprising:a wide database ofsynonyms compartmented into synonym groups which are associated witheach main entry and definition word, said synonym groups being formedthrough the cooperation of a thesaurus with a dictionary, and each ofsaid synonym groups being assigned a numeric code to assist in theretrieval process such that when the search words are entered theirnumeric codes are located and thereafter the dictionary definitions aresearched for definitions containing those numeric codes, the wordshaving definitions containing those numeric codes being displayed ascandidate words, said synonym groups thereby enabling a wider variationof the search words entered to retrieve the word sought, and saidnumeric codes being assigned to said synonym groups by frequency ofoccurrence to shorten search time.
 2. A method for retrieving a wordfrom a computer implemented reverse electronic dictionary containing awide database of synonyms compartmented into synonym groups wherein allmain entry words and definition words have assigned numeric codesdesignating the synonym groups, said method comprising:inputting thedictionary; inputting N defining words; searching the dictionary forword N; locating and storing the numeric code for word N; searching thedictionary for word N-1; locating and storing the numeric code for wordN-1; repeating the search and storage until all N words have beensearched; comparing the numeric codes whereby the one with lowernumerical value becomes the primary search code and the one with thenext higher numerical value becomes the secondary search code; searchingthe dictionary definitions for a match with the primary search code;searching a dictionary definition containing the primary search code fora match with the secondary search code; displaying as a candidate word aword containing both the primary search code and the secondary searchcode in its definition; repeating the search throughout the entiredictionary for words containing both search codes in their definitions;displaying all candidate words; and reporting that the search iscomplete,whereby the wide database of synonyms provides greater varietyin the set of defining words that can be inputted thus increasing theprobability of accessing the word sought.
 3. A method for establishing acomputer implemented reverse electronic dictionary containing a widedatabase of synonyms compartmented into synonym groups wherein all mainentries and definition words have assigned numeric codes designating thesynonym groups or non-synonym status, said method comprising:inputtingan entire thesaurus containing main entry words, secondary entry wordsand their respective synonyms; identifying each main entry word;identifying duplications of the main entry word being processed;removing the duplications; appending synonyms associated with theduplications to those of the main entry word being processed; assigninga numeric code, in numerical order, to each main entry word; identifyingeach secondary entry word; assigning the appropriate numeric code toeach secondary entry word, said numeric code obtained from the secondaryentry word in its location as a main entry word; storing the thesauruswith all assigned numeric codes; inputting an entire dictionarycontaining main entry words and definitions; identifying each dictionarymain entry word; searching the thesaurus for each dictionary main entryword; locating the dictionary main entry word in the thesaurus;assigning the numeric codes from the word in the thesaurus to the sameword in the dictionary; assigning a unique numeric code to eachdictionary main entry word not found in the thesaurus; removing theentire thesaurus; identifying each word used in the definition of eachdictionary main entry word; searching the dictionary main entry wordsfor each definition word; locating each definition word as a dictionarymain entry word; assigning the corresponding dictionary main entry wordnumeric codes to each definition word; sorting all numeric codes foreach definition into ascending order; removing all duplicate numericcodes in each definition; positioning the sorted numeric codes from thedefinition words immediately following each dictionary main entry word;and storing the processed dictionary file,whereby the wide database ofsynonyms expands search capabilities by increasing the number ofdefinition words associated with a synonym group.
 4. A method forestablishing an electronic dictionary as in claim 3 further comprisingthe following steps performed before the thesaurus is removed:accessingall unique numeric codes sequentially; locating the complete dictionarydefinition for each dictionary main entry word associated with a uniquenumeric code; searching the definition for a word written in all capitalletters; locating a word written in all capital letters in thedefinition of the word being processed; searching the thesaurus for theword written in all capital letters; locating the dictionary wordwritten in all capital letters in the thesaurus; replacing the uniquenumeric code with the numeric code assigned to the thesaurus word;replacing the unique numeric code of each word not located in thethesaurus with a new numeric code, said new numeric code forming a newsynonym group; and storing the processed dictionary file.
 5. A methodfor establishing an electronic dictionary as in claim 3 furthercomprising the steps of:sorting all numeric codes assigned to dictionarymain entry words by frequency of occurrence; reassigning numeric codeson the basis of frequency of occurrence; replacing all original numericcodes in dictionary entries with the reassigned numeric codes; removingall except the lowest numeric code from each dictionary main entry word,leaving all numeric codes associated with definition words in place;sorting all numeric codes for each definition into ascending order; andstoring the reprocessed dictionary file.
 6. A method for establishing anelectronic dictionary as in claim 3 whereby the synonym groups areexpanded by the following additional steps performed before thedictionary is inputted, said steps comprising:searching the thesaurusmain entries for the bold face abbreviations rel, con and ant; searchingthe thesaurus main entries and secondary entries for each word followingeach abbreviation; locating the main entries and secondary entries;appending the numeric code of the main entry being processed to thethesaurus main entries and secondary entries found; appending thenumeric codes of the thesaurus main entries and secondary entries foundto the main entry being processed; and storing the thesaurus with allassigned numeric codes.
 7. A method for establishing an electronicdictionary as in claim 3 whereby the range of synonym groups is expandedand new synonym groups are created from lists of related words, furthercomprising the following additional steps:forming a list of relatedwords; selecting a dictionary main entry with which the list of relatedwords is to be associated; appending the numeric code of the dictionarymain entry to each of the words on the list; and storing the processeddictionary file.